Figures of Earth

Art Historical Context

Arthur B. Davies created this evocative lithograph titled *Figures of Earth* in 1923. Measuring just over 12 by 8 inches, the print was made in black ink with a delicate gray tint, a technique that allowed for soft tonal transitions and subtle atmospheric effects. As a work on paper from the National Gallery of Art’s renowned Rosenwald Collection, it exemplifies the growing importance of printmaking in early twentieth-century America, when artists embraced lithography for its ability to produce rich textures and reach broader audiences. The title hints at Davies’s interest in the relationship between human forms and the natural world, inviting viewers to consider themes of earth, embodiment, and perhaps timeless cycles of life. Though intimate in scale, the work carries a quiet monumentality typical of Davies’s vision, encouraging contemplation even in reproduction. Today it offers museum visitors a window into the artist’s poetic approach to form and his contribution to American modernism through the accessible yet expressive medium of print.

About the Artist

Arthur B. Davies · 1862–1928

Arthur Bowen Davies (1862–1928) occupies one of the most paradoxical positions in American art history: a painter whose own canvases were lyrical, dreamlike, and rooted in the classical tradition, yet whose organizational energy and curatorial vision helped force American audiences into direct confrontation with the European avant-garde. Born on 26 September 1862 in Utica, New York, to English and...